Awesome! Yes size of the cart is something to get use to. We have been using carts like these on catamarans for decades (Cat Trax), but still seeing the size of the cart when dealing with a kayak is something new for most people. With the size of the Tandem Island this is the only practical way to carry it across soft sand.

This looks like a perfect solution. You guys with the trailers and two sets of these cradles (not to mention the wheels and hardware!) have taken the most expensive route but it appears to be the best solution.

I would wait for Hobie if I knew how long it would take them to copy and supply this concept in the stores.

I like it! Been wondering when someone would use the hobie cradles for this. They are expensive, but so is physical therapy.

The 42cm bigfoot tires appear to give just the right amount of ground clearance, which you need going over the slopes.

Good work. Can you tell us about the trailer too?

NOHUHU,

Aloha and thank you, it's great to hear from you. I've enjoyed reading your posts for months. You have contributed some amazingly creative ideas that clearly reflect your love for the water and like the rest of us, our total enjoyment of our boats.

I went with the SUT-350-S Trailex Trailer because I felt it was the right trailer for the TI. The Trailex people are the nicest people to work with. They were incredibly understanding of my requests. The design modifications that I either added or built myself were the following: 3 wide Trailex cross bars to support 3 Hobie saddles, 6 stainless steel web hooks for the ends, a sail/mast carrier, and a stern roller to better fit the hull. I can post pictures of these in a few days if you'd like.

I had a spare Hobie saddle (as you know they're sold in pairs only). After my first wheel cart prototype didn't "perform to my expectations" I realized that I needed to support not just the TI hull but the Amas as well. My spare saddle was the next obvious choice. In my opinion the 42cm Wheeleez tires are the right wheels for this type of cart. I think the videos clearly shows how easily they handle the weight of the TI. If I didn't live in Florida (sand beaches) and had made this cart to get down to a lake (hard ground) I would have gone with their 38cm Tuff-Tire wheels instead.

This looks like a perfect solution. You guys with the trailers and two sets of these cradles (not to mention the wheels and hardware!) have taken the most expensive route but it appears to be the best solution.

I would wait for Hobie if I knew how long it would take them to copy and supply this concept in the stores.

Tiki Tack,

Thanks for the heads up on my design. I'm sure you can appreciate the effort that went into it. It looks simple now, but arriving at that point was the hard part. My inspiration was that I really just longed to go sailing in the beautiful waters of South Florida.

Having spent the last twenty years designing and building all the equipment and trucks for my pressure cleaning business, I figured I could surely come up with a way to get this boat down to the beach and back again. My first designs were much bigger and more complicated. I like challenges and I had fun working on this one. As it turned out "less is more".

All I initially set out to do was purely for my needs and purposes. I've built a second one for a friend and now he's using and enjoying it too. As far as waiting for Hobie to copy and supply this concept, I don't know how to respond?

Awesome! Yes size of the cart is something to get use to. We have been using carts like these on catamarans for decades (Cat Trax), but still seeing the size of the cart when dealing with a kayak is something new for most people. With the size of the Tandem Island this is the only practical way to carry it across soft sand.

Thanks Matt,

I agree about the practicality of my design, I'm glad you like it. It just seems to be the correct way to support and move a TI. This boat is long and heavy with three separate parts to contend with. I never knew about the Cat Trax but the principal seems to be similar.

I am about to buy one of these. The guy that makes them said he would customize the dimensions so the to rails that support the boat would line up on the groves in the bottom of the hull of the TI. Then ill just run a crank strap around it. Currently I am using a similar design homemade out of 2" PVC and large fishing cart wheels. The homemade version works good, but it kicks my butt to pull all the gear through 50 yards of soft sand because the tires are not wide enough. The tires that Florida Sail Craft uses are higher quality than the Wheelez tires (and larger/wider). I'll post a report after I get them and test it out.

Looks like a great design, perhaps putting an end to the scupper-hole carts. Amen!

Keith

Keith,Thank you. I might tend to agree with you on the topic of the plug-in carts. Although I have read in the forum about people for whom the plug-in cart is their preference. Perhaps now there is an alterative.

As far as waiting for Hobie to copy and supply this concept, I don't know how to respond?

Maybe I jumped the gun and didnt realize that you would want to start a business supplying these carts, if I did I appologize. It's your design that I will copy if I decide that I need to go this route, but in the back of my mind I would like to see Hobie step up and just offer it already at a deep discount or as a kit ASAP.

Very nice. I see that you used the remaining cradle to support your TI on the trailer. I like that idea to distribute weight to 3 contact points vs 2. Trailex is calling me back tomorrow and I think I will order another cross bar and get a 2nd cradle set from Hobie. Will you price me a cart without the cradle? ken@gound.com

Nope... She just "reminded" me that I already have my hands full running our current company and that finding any time in between to go sailing is enough of a challenge for me right now. She's probably right, but I'd like to offer the following thoughts anyway.

I'm sure Hobie is working diligently on designing a new cart for the TI. However, there's always R&D, product testing, putting it into production and dealer distribution etc. It could be a while before it gets out to the TI community. In the meantime I'd be happy to try and make my wheel cart available for anyone who would like to purchase one at a cost of $799 plus shipping and handling.